Member Avatar for ShahBoii

Hi Fellow Daniweb IT members,

I am currently thinking to buy the Dell inspiron 546 MT with the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core 5200+ (2.7 GHz and 512Kx2 cache), and the 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium, 6144MB Ram, 640GB Hard drive and a 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card.

I mainly need will use it to make web graphics designs and videos for AS-level I.C.T and for homework for my school work.

Can you tell me if this Motherboard is fast/slow or non-responsive etc.

Thanks in advance

~ShahBoii

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Suspishio

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Short answer: the sluggishness you describe isn’t unusual for that era of budget desktop when loaded with a stock OEM image and Vista — the hardware can be fine for basic graphic work, but the combination of OS overhead, driver/bloatware issues and storage bottlenecks is what usually makes a machine feel “snail‑slow.” ’s decision to return it makes sense if the out‑of‑box experience didn’t meet expectations.

Practical diagnostic steps to try before returning or upgrading:

  • Boot a clean Windows session (Safe Mode or a clean‑boot via msconfig) and check Task Manager / Resource Monitor to see whether CPU, RAM or Disk is pegged.
  • Run a disk health check (S.M.A.R.T.) and chkdsk; a slow 5400RPM drive or failing sectors will kill responsiveness.
  • Uninstall OEM “trial” software and unnecessary startup apps; update chipset and GPU drivers from Dell.
  • Check memory population: unmatched / single-stick arrangements can force single‑channel mode and hurt performance — confirm the BIOS sees all modules and channels correctly.

If the machine is otherwise healthy, upgrades that give the biggest real‑world boost:

  • Swap the mechanical drive for an SSD (single biggest snappiness gain).
  • Clean reinstall of the OS (Windows 7 was commonly noticeably snappier than Vista on the same hardware).
  • For serious video work, the next meaningful step is more CPU cores / faster CPU and a stronger GPU; entry‑level desktop GPUs help UI and preview but won’t replace a faster CPU for encoding.

Notes and cautions: was right to flag the unknown motherboard — check the exact board/BIOS before buying upgrades. ’s cache comment is relevant in that small cache sizes on older dual‑cores amplify the need for faster storage and more cores in multimedia workloads. Back up data and confirm warranty/return policy before opening or changing hardware.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

cant help it ,i just have to reply ,you don't say what motherboard it is ,but with that cpu and amount of ram and video ram if its slow .i'll trade you my P4 2.6 for it lol

Member Avatar for ShahBoii

M8, I dont think so lol! I have got it with vista ultimate 64-bit instead!!

By the way, I was lucky that i ordered vista ultimate because i know recieve a free upgrade to windows 7 untimate 64-bit!!

I cant wait until I recieve it on 22nd october 2009!!! :)

Member Avatar for jannat2earth

Hey man this is very nice qoutation your computer will work faster more than ever keep doin'

Member Avatar for ShahBoii

M8, I dont think so lol! I have got it with vista ultimate 64-bit instead!!

By the way, I was lucky that i ordered vista ultimate because i know recieve a free upgrade to windows 7 untimate 64-bit!!

I cant wait until I recieve it on 22nd october 2009!!! :)

I am giving it back. The computer is slower than a snail! It also has many probs. so buying a quad core instead

Member Avatar for Suspishio

yeah - I'd have advised you that 2nd Level cache of 6MB is about right for Vista x64.

I would always go for the Intel processor range. I trust it better since AMD is the catch-uop company that sees Intel as the big bad guy.

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